RDU lands a new airline and nonstop flights to Birmingham

Triangle travelers will be able to fly nonstop to Birmingham, Ala., starting in April, after Florida-based Via Airlines begins flying from Raleigh-Durham International Airport for the first time.

Via will offer the only nonstop flights between RDU and Birmingham. The flights will begin April 11 and operate four days a week, on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, on 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145 jets.

Via becomes the 10th commercial airline to fly from RDU. The airline was founded in 1997 and until now has served about a dozen cities in the Southeast and Southwest, including Columbia, S.C.

The new flight from RDU is part of a larger expansion the airline announced Wednesday that includes new service at airports in Hartford, Conn., Memphis, Tenn., and Pittsburgh. The airline now flies to 19 cities.